RFID Raises Elevator EfficiencyAt Capital Bank Plaza, in Raleigh, N.C., Schindler's PORT solution employs passive 13.56 MHz tags and readers to reduce elevator traffic flow and office workers' wait times.
Oct 05, 2011—Since last month, the 300 employees working at the Capital Bank Plaza office building in Raleigh, N.C., have been using RFID-enabled identification cards to ride elevators. The system, implemented by the building's owner, Raleigh Development Co. (RDC), allows tenants' employees to summon an elevator car and be taken to the requested floor without having to press any buttons. The Personal Occupant Requirement Terminal (PORT) destination-dispatch elevator solution was provided by elevator company Schindler.
Every employee is issued a plastic credit-card-sized ID card containing an RFID tag. Upon presenting the card to one of the building's five RFID terminals, a person is assigned the elevator that could most efficiently transport him or her to the appropriate floor. As a result, says Don Carter, RDC's owner and principle, the system improves traffic flow throughout the 14-floor building, while also reducing wait times. 
Elevator passengers use the PORT terminal's built-in RFID reader to summon a car to automatically take them to their customary floor.
Although RDC researched several solutions, the company selected Schindler's RFID-based system because the technology seemed more advanced than other offerings, says Nicole Saloio, Schindler's manager of destination products—and because it could, in the future, allow smartphone users to summon elevators via their mobile phone, using a Bluetooth connection. However, Saloio says, that function is not yet available. The PORT system, which Schindler launched in the United States in September 2009, is designed to help an individual call for an elevator to a specific floor, and be directed to the car that can most efficiently carry that person to the requested destination. The system, Saloio says, knows where the passenger wants to go before the lift arrives. Login and post your comment!Not a member? Signup for an account now to access all of the features of RFIDJournal.com! |
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